Episode 16 Radical Measures

Discussion in 'The Collection' started by gormo, Apr 22, 2016.

  1. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,

    Episode 16 Radical Measures relates to last resort track alterations to cure stalling or hesitation problems with some locos.

    Radical because it requires the use of a flat file to alter the offending track.

    I have done quite a bit of this on GCJ .......not because I was having lots of problems....but because once I realised it worked .......I went on a mission to improve every joint if it needed it.

    Anyway it is all covered in the video so have a look and see what you think.????

    Direct Link to Radical Measures on YouTube



    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo
     
  2. Ron

    Ron Full Member

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    Enjoyed that (not being a rivet counter!), thanks Gormo :):)

    Cheers
    Ron
     
  3. ed

    ed Full Member

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    Certainly radical Gormo.

    After recently taking the decision to 'dump' track rubbers in favour of cloths, liquids and hardboard type skids etc. to clean track due to the abrasive nature of rubbers, I'm loath to take a file to the rails.

    Although I must admit to having filed the odd track joint to get a smoother transition between rails, a whole section or point :scratchchin:

    Could it be that by filing, the track became much cleaner enabling the loco to run without hesitating?

    Ed
     
  4. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Definitely not Ed,

    I had cleaned that track with abrasive paper, even inside the edges of the switch rails and main rails to ensure a good electrical flow.

    That little diesel is the most sensitive loco I have. The way the wheels are mounted in the chassis means that, if you put a cigarette paper under one of the end wheels, you may have one or two of the middle wheels not making proper contact.

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo.....it appears I`ve been logged on whilst asleep last night.????
     
  5. ed

    ed Full Member

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    I've avoided abrasive paper as well up to now Gormo.

    There's been lots of discussions about polishing the rails with 2000 or 4000 grit wet and dry, which seems to be quite difficult to get hold of, but even that fine level of grit must leave scratches which may harbour dirt.

    My personal answer is ...... Don't know.

    Got to agree though, making the rails dead level must improve running.

    Ed
     
  6. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

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    Not so radical considering in the 12":1' world, there are rail grinding machines out there that do what you have done with a $20.00 file !
    Great video once again. :thumbup:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12CAFX2O95c



    Cheers, Gary.
     
  7. ed

    ed Full Member

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    But to be fair Gary, they're not relying on the rails for connectivity to power the loco.

    Plenty of prototype pictures around where the track isn't particularly flat or straight, but what can be done in the 12" to 1ft world won't always work in a model environment.

    Ed
     
  8. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Great video and something extra to add to the arsenal. It may just be the one thing that makes the difference in a certain location that let's you have derailment free sessions. :thumbs:

    Cheers

    Toto
     
  9. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,

    Ed......the reason I used abrasive paper on this track was to clean it quickly for the demo.

    The track has been hanging around my shed for many years and had the grit and grime and oxidation and the occassional spider that comes with years of neglect.

    For track in good condition I would use the very finest grades of paper I could get my hands on, however in this case we were going to file the track anyway, so whatever I did with the paper would look like chicken feed compared to what I did with the file.

    If anybody decides to file their track, the rail can be brought back to a nice smooth surface by working over it with fine grade paper.

    Personally I don`t worry about scratches in the rail surface. I can`t really see that it has ever made any difference to what I have at home, on top of that I can`t see any scratches.....old eyes....what I can`t see I don`t worry about.

    Regular running of my track cleaning wagon seems to buff the rail in any case.

    So old mate.....I`m afraid I`m one of those people who will have a crack at these things regardless of popular thinking and precautionary advice because in our imaginery 1/76th scale empires it`s nice to have the trains running properly.

    By the way.......Brasso.......is finer than any paper you can buy. You can even use it to buff varnish on timber. You can give varnish a glass like finish. It would be tricky to clean the residue off rail though?????........might be worth a trial on some test track.????

    Cheers

    Gormo

    PS.....great video there Gary.....I wonder how hard it would be to make one of those...:scratchchin:
     
  10. Echidna

    Echidna Full Member

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    Dear Gormo ,

    Keeping track clean is a perennial subject and you, like John Allen of Gorre & Daphetid fame , use a track cleaning wagon in service to continiously keep the track buffed up.

    Of all the various methods over the years this does seem to be the key to ensure faultless running.

    On the G&D all freight trains had one bogie boxvan equipped with a Masonite slide to keep the track polished. Bearing in mind the huge size of the G&D it was the only sensible option.

    Good work Gormo,

    Regards and best wishes, Echidna
     
  11. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Echidna,

    Synthetic Auto Transmission fluid is another one to try one day although I am wary about putting oil on the track.

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo
     
  12. Sandbar

    Sandbar Full Member

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    Another good video Gormo, Today I will be up in the shed checking out track.
    By the way I use the brasso method and it seems to work well.
    I tried the auto transmission oil and it worked for a short while.
    I now also have the masonite under a wagon.
    It seems that if you have track power it is a task that constantly has people looking at different ways to keep conductivity to the locos.
    To throw another method around - has anyone tried this method from Thunder Mesa Mining Co?

    http://thundermesaminingco.blogspot.com.au/search/label/track

    Andrew
    Sandbar & Mudcrab Railway
     

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